Boys hoops splits in Azusa

AZUSA – For the Burroughs boys basketball team, a second straight weekend at Azusa Pacific produced an optimistic split of four games. The Burros delivered lopsided victories over Mesa Grande Academy and Indio, offset by losses to Canyon and Whittier Christian.

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By Anthony GentileSPORTS EDITOR

Ridgecrest Daily Independent - Ridgecrest, CA

By Anthony GentileSPORTS EDITOR

Posted Jun. 18, 2013 at 4:20 PM
Updated Jun 18, 2013 at 4:42 PM

By Anthony GentileSPORTS EDITOR

Posted Jun. 18, 2013 at 4:20 PM
Updated Jun 18, 2013 at 4:42 PM

AZUSA – For the Burroughs boys basketball team, a second straight weekend at Azusa Pacific produced an optimistic split of four games. The Burros delivered lopsided victories over Mesa Grande Academy and Indio, offset by losses to Canyon and Whittier Christian.

"All around it was an encouraging weekend," said head coach Doug Hayes. "We beat up on who we were supposed to beat up on."

Both of Burroughs' wins came in decisive fashion. The Burros beat Mesa Grande Academy by 27 and opened up a big lead on Indio before turning the game over to the bench in the final quarter.

"We decided that we were going to play around with our second group," Hayes said. "We were up 26 points in the fourth quarter and we let some of the guys play long into their rotations in order to work on some stuff."

In the loss against Whittier Christian, foul trouble in both halves hurt the Burros. Alexander Ledford picked up a pair of fouls in the opening minutes and Calvin Martin missed a six-minute stretch in the third and fourth quarters after committing his fourth foul.

"They're a decent team right now – they're much improved from where they were last year and they had a lot more size than we did," Hayes said. "If we hadn't gotten into foul trouble in the first quarter, that's a totally different ballgame."

Offensively, Hayes said the Burros are working to put the pieces together within their motion offense. He said the team is very close to running it efficiently.

"We know all the parts of it, but being able to integrate them all together at the same time is the biggest thing," Hayes said. "If we come out and run one part they can do that part to death, but they need to be able to adapt and start doing the other parts that go with it at the same time."

Hayes said communication is key to the success of Burroughs' motion offense. He also noted that the team has room to improve its talking on defense.

"That's something we struggle with on a regular basis, but it's going to have to improve," Hayes said.

Hayes said Martin delivered outstanding performances throughout the weekend. The athletic senior-to-be is one of the keys for the Burros to have a successful 2013-14 season.

"With every game he plays, he's starting to figure it out – when he should stand and shoot it, when he should rip and go to the basket – and he's learning how to be a good leader as well," Hayes said. "He kind of has to put those pieces together.

"Playing out of town with the L.A. Rockfish and then playing everywhere we go during the summer brings forth a new challenge each week. I think he's doing well at stepping up and meeting that challenge."

Page 2 of 2 - Hayes said the backcourt tandem of Matthew and Michael Polman played well for the second straight weekend, and that Tyron Jones and Biggie Hernandez had big moments in the four games. Burroughs also got a boost with the return of Caleb Felix, who was medically cleared on Thursday after missing time with a hamstring injury.

"He went out there and played tough, he didn't make costly errors for us and he played good and steady," Hayes said of Felix. "It's going­ to take him a while to get his footwork back and be consistent, but it was nice to have that tool back in our toolbox."

Burroughs returns to action on Thursday in Woodland Hills, when they begin pool play at the 32-team War on the Floor ­­at Pierce College. The Burros' pool includes Van Nuys, Santa Clarita Christian and Bullard, the three-time defending Central Section Division I champions.

"It's an invitational – a lot of the top teams in different sections and different divisions go there," Hayes said. "The competition is always extremely good."